Medicaid

Federal Health Policy Update for October 3

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 26 to October 3. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Health Care During the Government Shutdown With the federal government technically without spending authority now that FY 2026 has begun without an approved FY 2026 budget, the federal role in health care will change in some respects and be greatly reduced in others. Medicare and Medicaid will continue to function; previous legislation ensures Medicaid funding through the first quarter of FY 2026. States will continue to receive federal funding to [...]

joe2025-10-03T14:33:33-04:00October 3, 2025|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Health Care During the Government Shutdown

With the federal government technically without spending authority now that FY 2026 has begun without an approved FY 2026 budget, the federal role in health care will change in some respects and be greatly reduced in others. The Department of Health and Human Services anticipates reducing its workforce by 40 percent during the federal government shutdown while the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services anticipates furloughing nearly half its staff. The Office of Management and Budget has issued a memo encouraging agencies to consider making at least some and possibly many of these furloughs permanent. Medicare and Medicaid will continue [...]

joe2025-10-01T08:42:28-04:00October 1, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Telehealth|

New Medicaid Work Requirement Could Slam Hospital Finances

The Medicaid work/community engagement requirement included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act could cost hospitals millions of dollars – losses that could translate into potential declines of 11.7-13.3 percent in hospital operating margins, according to a Commonwealth Fund analysis based on Urban Institute data. Not all current Medicaid participants are subject to the new work and community engagement requirements but between 5.5 million and 6.3 million people are expected to lose their Medicaid benefits as a result of those requirements. Among them, some will be newly unemployed; some will be unable to find work; and some will be employed [...]

joe2025-09-26T12:02:19-04:00October 1, 2025|hospitals, Medicaid|

MACPAC Meets

Members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met recently in Washington, D.C. The following is MACPAC’s own summary of its two days of public meetings. MACPAC’s September 2025 meeting began with a summary of Public Law 119-21, an Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, P.L. 119-21). This legislation included several provisions affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In this session, staff provided a summary of the Medicaid and CHIP-related provisions in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act. Staff then presented on work [...]

joe2025-09-26T09:15:24-04:00September 29, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations|

Federal Health Policy Update for September 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 12-18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Funding for the federal government expires on September 30. Members of Congress have not yet coalesced around a plan to fund the federal government when the new federal fiscal year begins on October 1, with House Republican and Democratic leaders releasing competing legislative texts for a short-term continuing resolution (CR). House Republicans have proposed a CR to last through November 21 with very few anomalies, or policy changes, outside of regular spending. [...]

joe2025-09-18T17:11:02-04:00September 18, 2025|340b, Affordable Care Act, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, post-acute care, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for September 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for September 5-11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress With fewer than three weeks until the end of the federal fiscal year, congressional leaders are beginning to devise a strategy to avoid a federal government shutdown on October 1. Whatever strategy they ultimately adopt will certainly involve some form of continuing resolution (CR). Some conservatives in Congress would like to see a full-year CR that would keep funding at current levels and permit the President to cut spending via rescissions. Appropriators [...]

joe2025-09-11T16:41:56-04:00September 11, 2025|340b, Affordable Care Act, Congress, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Preparations for Rural Health Transformation Program Continue

When Congress enacted its FY 2025 budget reconciliation bill – the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” – it recognized that the Medicaid cuts in that legislation could have a damaging effect on some health care providers and the communities they serve and created a five-year, $50 billion “Rural Health Transformation Program” designed to help protect rural hospitals from some of the damage those cuts are expected to cause. Now, federal regulators are working to bring that program to life. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which will administer the program, has created a web site for the program. That [...]

joe2025-09-04T16:54:10-04:00September 8, 2025|Medicaid|

Federal Health Policy Update for September 4

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 29 – September 4. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate have returned to Washington D.C., where their focus has turned to funding for the federal government, which expires on September 30. Senior appropriators predict that Congress will pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open through at least mid-November. We expect any CR to include a number of health care extenders for programs that also expire after September 30, including for telehealth flexibilities, [...]

joe2025-09-04T15:15:10-04:00September 4, 2025|Accountable Care Organization, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicaid managed care, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 28

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 22-28. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress The House and Senate are in recess and will return to Washington D.C. on September 2. Funding for the federal government expires on September 30, as will a number of health care extenders, including for telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, the Medicare-dependent hospital and low-volume hospital programs, and delays to reductions to Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) The CBO has written to congressional [...]

joe2025-08-28T15:48:29-04:00August 28, 2025|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

New Committee to Consider Federal Role in Health Care

The Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are forming a new committee to “restore patient-driven care.” The group, to be called the “Federal Healthcare Advisory Committee,” will consist of “… experts charged with delivering strategic recommendations directly to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace.” As described in a CMS news release, the scope of the committee’s work will encompass: Actionable policy initiatives to promote [...]

joe2025-08-21T16:38:27-04:00August 25, 2025|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health care reform, Medicaid, Medicare|